


Ambush

by Inkolive



Series: TBZ Secret Agents [1]
Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-20 21:30:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18533524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkolive/pseuds/Inkolive
Summary: A TBZ secret agents au because I wanted one.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting here. Hope you like.

Changmin looked down from his position on the ledge. They were thirty storeys high up now and he had to squint to see anything due to the wind roaring in his face. The lights of the traffic glittered below him and he thought he might have appreciated the view if he hadn't just been about to climb down the side of the building.

Younghoon finished securing the ropes to the ledge and then checked Changmin’s harness.

‘Be careful’, he told him.

Changmin smiled at him. ‘If I fall it’d be because you messed up the ropes’.

Younghoon just scowled at him as he helped him off the ledge. Changmin was slowly lowered down until he was level with the window below.

He stepped onto the much narrower ledge jutting below the window, making sure to keep out of view. Remaining in the shadow of the ledge above him, he looked inside to see a man standing in the center of the room talking on his phone. He walked over to the door and exited, closing the door behind him.  
Changmin silently thanked him for that.

‘Number 2, you have ten minutes’, came Kevin’s voice, through Changmin’s earpiece.

‘Alright. That’s enough time’, he replied, starting to work on the window. In a few seconds he had the glass pane in his hand and jumped inside the room. Placing the glass on the floor, he hurried over to the computer and inserted the USB drive into it. Changmin hoped Kevin’s code would work.

A pop up appeared on the screen telling him he had to wait four minutes. Changmin was both relived and annoyed.

‘Four minutes?’ he hissed.

‘Hey it’s the best I can do…’ Kevin replied.

Changmin waited impatiently, afraid someone would come in even though he knew Kevin would warn him if anyone approached his door. He trusted Kevin.  
Finally after what seemed like hours the pop up displayed the message ‘file transfer complete’ and Changmin yanked out the USB drive and ran over to the window.

To his horror he saw the rope that had been attached to him, dangling down the window. He looked up to see the rest of it swinging above him way too high to reach.  
Changmin leaned out the window trying to see above the ledge.

‘Younghoon?’ he called out, uncertainly.

No reply.

‘Four minutes left’.

Changmin was starting to panic now. ‘Younghoon!?  
Number 67!?’

Still no reply.

Changmin pressed the earpiece and spoke into his mic. ‘Number 11, where’s number 67?’

Kevin didn’t reply.

‘Kevin where’s Younghoon!?’

‘I don’t know but you need to get out _right_ _now_ ’.

Changmin climbed out into the narrow ledge and placed the glass back in place. Then he took out his grappling hook and started to fix it onto the ledge. Just then he saw the door of the office start to open and he jumped.

Changmin fell quite a few meters till the rope went taut and his hands slipped through a whole three feet of it before he stopped. Now he was just dangling on the edge of the building.

Changmin wasn’t sure how much rope was left below him and he was too afraid to look down. So he climbed up until he was met with the another window. The room inside was dark. He climbed onto the ledge and curled up against the window, trying to catch his breath.

‘Number two, you’re on your own now’, came Kevin’s voice.

‘Where’s Younghoon?’.

‘He’s safe and coming back now. Hurry back yourself’.  
Changmin took out yet another glass pane and jumped into the dark room.

 

Kevin was sat in their van, which was parked in the shades of some trees, frantically searching through all the cameras.

There was no sign of Younghoon. He looked at Juyeon who had joined him on the mission for “company”.

‘I don’t know where either of them are now…’

‘Should I go…?’ Juyeon asked.

Kevin hesitated.

‘Look the mission has already gone wrong. I can help’, Juyeon reasoned.

Kevin sighed and handed him an earpiece. Juyeon put it on and jumped out the van, bounding into the darkness.

Kevin turned back to his laptop and finally caught sight of Younghoon on one of the cameras. He’d been caught.

Kevin’s blood ran cold as he saw two guards drag a struggling Younghoon down a corridor and out of sight.  
Kevin picked up his mic and spoke into it. ‘Juyeon… quickly get Changmin and come back. We’ve been found’.

‘Younghoon?’

‘He’s been caught…’

He heard Juyeon gasp. ‘What do I tell Changmin?’

‘Tell him Younghoon is back at the van’.

‘No…’ there was a tremble in his voice. ‘That’s too cruel, Kevin… I can’t just…’

‘We have to get out now or we’ll all get caught’, Kevin hissed.

‘Alright…’

In a few minutes Juyeon and Changmin were climbing back into the van. Once Changmin was inside, Kevin slammed the door shut and ordered the driver to get them out of there.

‘Wait!’ Changmin screamed. ‘Where’s Younghoon!?’

‘He got caught…’ Kevin told him.

‘What? No! You lied to me!?’ Changmin shrieked. ‘Stop the car! Go back!’ He threw himself at the door to try and open it but Kevin and Juyeon grabbed him and pulled him back.

‘We have to leave him!’ Kevin cried. ‘Otherwise we’ll all get caught and the mission will fail!’

‘To hell with the stupid mission! I’m not leaving Younghoon behind!’ Changmin kicked Kevin in the thigh and elbowed Juyeon.

Juyeon threw him onto the floor of the van and pinned him down. Changmin struggled all the while yelling at them. Kevin took a pair of handcuffs and cuffed him, though it was as useless as tying a piece of floss around him. Changmin could work his way out through almost any lock.

But it kept him at bay for a little while.

‘Kevin! How could you!? He could get _killed!_ ’

Kevin looked out the window, unable to say anything. He felt awful.

Changmin was out of his handcuffs in just a few seconds and grabbed Kevin holding a gun to his neck.

He had gotten even better at his locks.

‘We go back now!’ he growled. ‘ _Now_ Kevin!’

Kevin felt Changmin smash the gun to his head and lost all sight for a few seconds. There was a loud bang and then a thud of metal falling onto the floor.

When he blinked away the stars in his eyes, Kevin saw that Juyeon and Changmin were wrestling again. The gun had skittered under the seat and there was a dent on the roof of the van.

Juyeon who was much bigger and stronger than Changmin threw him onto the floor again.

This time Changmin didn’t get up. He just curled up and covered his face with a hand, all the fight gone from him. After a while Kevin realised he was crying.  
Shocked, he stared at the boy on the floor. He had only seen Changmin cry once before when he was fourteen.  
The two of them, along with Juyeon, had been the first agents to be recruited and they had been trained together. Twenty trainees and only ten had been selected. Number 02, 09, 11 and 16 had been sent to their current unit and the other’s had been sent elsewhere.

Over time more agents had joined their unit and Younghoon had joined them when they’d been 17. Within a few months he and Changmin had become boyfriends.

Their director hadn’t approved but since Younghoon and Changmin’s teamwork was already unmatchable and became even better, he had let them be and sent them on several missions together.

Juyeon tried comforting Changmin but he just hit him so he gave up and settled back into his seat.

Hearing Changmin cry was the worst thing ever but Kevin couldn’t think of any way to console him.  
They reached the house, they had rented for the mission and went inside. Changmin had stopped crying and looked ready to murder someone again.  
They went inside and were greeted by Jacob whose smile faded as soon as he saw Changmin’s red swollen eyes and that Younghoon was missing.

‘Oh no…’ he whispered.

‘Did you get the information?’ the director asked as he came down the stairs, his hands buried in his huge coat’s pockets.

Changmin glared at him. ‘You’re not going to ask where Younghoon is?’

‘The USB please…’ the director held out his hand.  
‘What information did we take anyway? Why was it so important?’ Changmin asked.

‘You know very well I don’t hand out any information unless it’s important to your mission’.

Changmin took out the USB and threw it on the floor. It skidded across the floor and came to a halt in front of the huge fireplace.

‘I’m glad you boys followed through the mission and didn’t do anything reckless in hopes of getting number 67 back…’

Changmin was trembling now, tears flowing down his face.

‘Number 2, please…’ the director said. ‘Get a grip on your emotions’.

‘I should’ve been left with him!’ Changmin cried. ‘I could’ve gotten caught too and then I could escape easily! You all know I can pick any locks!’

‘What if the locks had been keypads or…’ the director began before he was cut off.

‘They weren’t! Even if they were I could’ve unlocked them!’ Changmin yelled and stormed off. Jacob followed him.

Kevin picked up the USB and handed it to the director.  
‘Thank you…’ the director said, pocketing the USB. ‘And Kevin?’

Kevin looked at the director in surprise. He seldom used their real names.

‘You did a good job boy. You did the right thing’.

Kevin didn’t say anything.

‘Don’t let Changmin’s emotions affect you too’.  
Kevin just nodded and left. He owed Changmin an apology but wasn’t sure what good it would do.

 

The director went into the room he had temporarily turned into his office and set the USB down. It was very important information and the boys had done well. The loss of Younghoon grieved him, however.

Despite everything, he had grown attached to the boys. He felt sorry for Changmin and wished he had put a stop to their relationship sooner. He knew it would end up in one of them being very badly hurt. Agents usually didn’t survive that long.

The director then thought he should probably move Changmin to a properly locked room, in case any wild ideas popped in his head. He called for Juyeon so he could go fetch Changmin for him. No one answered and he soon discovered that all six boys who he had brought with him on the trip had already left.


	2. Chapter 2

All Changmin could think of was Younghoon. Was he okay? Had they hurt him? Was he still in the building? Would they take him away? Interrogate him? Or kill him?

  
He tightened the bandage around his arm. He had no idea how or when he’d cut it. Maybe he had grazed it on the rope when he fell or when Juyeon had thrown him onto the van’s floor.

  
Kevin and Jacob were sitting with him in the back of the van, while Hwall was sitting in the front next to Juyeon who was driving.

  
Juyeon sped over a speed bump, throwing Changmin up. He hit his head on the van’s roof.

  
‘Juyeon!’ Changmin growled.

  
‘Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t see it’, Juyeon apologized.

  
‘Who let him drive?’ Jacob mumbled, rubbing his head.

  
‘He himself’, Kevin spoke. His eyes fixated on his laptop.

  
Juyeon sped over another bump and was immediately yelled at by three boys.

  
‘Goddammit Juyeon!’

  
‘Stop! I’m gonna get a concussion!’

  
‘I almost dropped my laptop!’

  
‘Sorry!’ Juyeon yelled back.

  
Changmin’s bandage had unwrapped itself and he started winding it around his arm again.

  
He noticed Kevin was looking at him.

  
‘Calm down… you’re gonna stop your blood flow’, he told him.

  
Changmin didn’t say anything.

  
‘It’ll be okay, Changmin…’ Jacob said, softly. ‘Younghoon knows how to take care of himself’.

  
‘He’s always on edge when he gets separated from him though’, Hwall supplied.

  
Kevin looked at Changmin, who looked down at the bandage he was tugging.

  
‘It just… hurts a lot…’ Changmin whispered.

  
‘It seems like loving him causes you more misery than happiness’, Kevin said.

  
Changmin knew it was a joke but he still snapped at Kevin. ‘Loving always comes with pain, Kev’.

  
‘Then why-’

  
‘Cause it’s worth it!’

  
Kevin didn’t say anything. Changmin finally tied his bandage and crossed his arms. He looked at Kevin, who turned back to his laptop.

  
In a softer voice Changmin spoke, ‘thanks for agreeing to help me out’.

  
‘Ah, I owe that to you’.

  
‘Why couldn’t you have just done this before?’

  
‘We were on a mission. This isn’t a mission’.

  
The van grumbled to a shaky stop and Juyeon announced that they were here.  
Kevin typed something into his computer. ‘It’ll take me some time to connect to the cameras again. Also we need to think of a plan’.

  
Changmin grabbed an earpiece and slid the van’s door open. He jumped out and ran towards the building, ignoring his friend’s protests.

  
When he reached the gates surrounding the building, he looked for the place where they had cut the barbed wires to enter earlier. When he found them he took out his rope and grappling hook again. He had to take another from the van as he’d left his previous hanging off the building.

  
‘Hi, hyung’.

  
Changmin jumped and whirled around ready to strike.

  
‘Hey its just me…’

  
Changmin turned around again to see Hwall.

  
‘Oh God… you almost gave me a heart attack.. And how’d you move so fast?’

  
Hwall shrugged. ‘I’m here to help’.

  
Changmin threw the grappling hook over the wall and then checked if it was secure. Once he was sure that it was, he motioned for Hwall to go up first.

  
Hwall climbed up, followed by Changmin and then the two of them crept towards the building. They made slow progress as they tried to stay in the shadows and to stop after every little while to check for any guards.This was the third time that night that Changmin was repeating this process.

‘Front entrance or back?’ Hwall asked.

  
Changmin considered his options. Suddenly his ear piece cracked to life and he heard Kevin’s familiar voice crackle through.  
‘Take the back entrance’.

  
Hwall and Changmin crept around the building to its backside.

  
‘Do you know where Younghoon is being kept?’ Changmin whispered.

  
‘Uh… no… I don’t know. I can’t se him anywhere’.

  
Changmin tried not to let that get his hopes down.

  
He easily unlocked the back door and slid inside along with Hwall. They had entered a long corridor that stretched both ways. Changmin recalled the floor plan he had observed earlier that day. He knew that the corridor of the ground floor stretched all along the building in a square.

  
‘Kevin? Is there a guard on this floor?’

  
‘Yes. One, if you go to your right.’

  
‘Okay’, Changmin replied and then turned to Hwall. He explained what to do and went left as Hwall went right.

  
Hwall soon ran into the guard, who looked at him in surprise.

  
‘Scuse me sir but have you seen a guy about ye big and-’

  
The guard held up his gun towards Hwall just as Changmin crashed into him. He snatched the gun off of him and Hwall tripped him up. The two boys pinned him down onto the floor and in one clean movement, Hwall twisted the guards arm, pulling it out of his shoulder.

  
The guard opened his mouth to yell out but Changmin stepped on it, blocking any screams. Normally they were trained not to practice so much violence but Changmin was in no mood to be merciful today.

  
He poked the guard with his own rifle. ‘Where did you take the other boy?’

  
The man didn’t say anything. ‘Tell me where my partner is and I might fix your arm’.

  
The guard managed to choke out a few words, explaining where Younghoon was and Hwall popped his arm back in. Changmin withdrew his foot from his mouth.

  
The guard breathed a sigh of relief, just as Changmin swung the rifle and hit it against the side of his head, knocking him out.

  
The two boys dragged the unconscious body into an empty room and then ran downstairs to the basement. They found the room, the guard had told them about and Changmin took out his lock picks and unlocked it. He went inside to see Younghoon hurry into the corner of the room.

  
Changmin noticed some cut ropes at his feet and noticed his hands were still bound. Younghoon had managed to cut the ropes tying his feet. Changmin felt a surge of pride, affection and relief all at once.

  
He ran to Younghoon and hugged him tight.

‘Oh thank goodness!’

  
‘I was so worried about you!’ they both cried at the same time and then laughed.

Changmin pulled away from the hug and Younghoon found that his hands had already been cut free during the hug. Changmin pocketed his knife and grabbed Younghoon’s hand, dragging him away.

  
The three boys dashed back upstairs, Changmin noticed Younghoon had a slight limp but tried putting that thought aside. As they reached the back door they found their way blocked by two guards.

  
As Changmin took out his gun, one of the guard charged and slammed into him, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He was once again hit in the stomach and he doubled over unable to breathe. His head spun as he tried to get his bearings again.  
He was smacked across the face and a burst of pain stung itself into existence. Changmin couldn’t see. His cheek felt wet and hot. He couldn’t breathe either.

  
There were shouts and yells all around him. He felt someone grab his arm and drag him back out into the darkness. The cool air brought Changmin back into his senses and he noticed Younghoon was the one pulling him forward.

  
‘For goodness’ sake just shoot them down’, he heard someone yell behind him. A moment later, gunshots started ringing through the air.

  
Something hit his side and he stumbled but Younghoon pulled him up and they continued running. They reached the wall and Changmin threw up his grappling hook, wishing he had just left it hanging there from before.

  
Hwall climbed up first, followed by Changmin. As he reached the top Changmin looked down to see a guard had grabbed Younghoon’s arm.

  
‘Hwall!’ Changmin yelled.

  
Hwall who was right next to Changmin twisted around and shot the guard in the shoulder. With a yell he let go of Younghoon and Hwall shot him in the thigh. He never missed his targets.

  
Changmin helped Younghoon up and the three boys jumped off the wall, rolling on the floor as they landed. Their van sped up to them and they tumbled inside, not even waiting for it to stop.

  
Juyeon swerved the van around and sped back the way they had come from.

  
Ever since Younghoon had been grabbed and dragged away from the roof, he had been worried about Changmin.

  
He’d watched in horror as the guard had cut the rope that had been tied to Changmin and then he’d been taken down into the basement and locked up. Younghoon had been so afraid of Changmin falling off the building and then the boy had burst in and saved his life.

 

 

  
Younghoon wondered how many times Changmin had saved his life. Then he wondered how many times he had saved Changmin’s life. He remembered the time he had caused a whole mission to fail just because he had refused to leave a very injured Changmin behind. The director had been furious and Younghoon had been punished severely.

  
That had been a year ago. Younghoon put his arm around Changmin glad to have him safe beside his side. The van bounced a little over a pothole.

  
‘Ah…’ Changmin gasped, softly.

  
Younghoon looked down at him and noticed that all color had drained from Changmin’s face. He was clutching his side.

  
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, panic building up in his chest.

  
Changmin withdrew his hand to show that it had gone all wet and dark. He’d been shot.  
‘Jacob! Changmin’s been shot!’ Younghoon yelled, going on his knees. He made Changmin lie down in the seat and pulled up his shirt. There was too much blood to see anything.

  
Jacob crouched down next to Younghoon his medical bag in hand. He cleaned off some blood and stuffed cotton into the wound.

  
‘I don’t have all of my supplies with me right now!’ Jacob cried. He was panicking too.

  
‘Its fine guys…’ Changmin gasped out. He mumbled something else too but his words all slurred together and Younghoon barely understood him.

  
‘Juyeon drive faster!’ Kevin yelled. ‘But hit a bump or pothole and I’ll kill you!’

  
Jacob applied pressure to Changmin’s wound, making him wince in pain. Younghoon held his hand.

  
‘Is it… bad…?’ He asked Jacob.

  
‘I really can’t tell right now…’ Jacob answered. ‘Changmin. Please don’t pass out. Younghoon talk to him’.

  
Younghoon kissed Changmin’s cheek. ‘Hey baby…’ Changmin focused his eyes on him. ‘Thanks for coming back for me’.

  
‘Y-you did the… the same for me…’ Changmin mumbled and closed his eyes.

  
‘Hey no! Stay awake!’ Younghoon gently shook his shoulder but Changmin had already passed out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! Comments and kudos are very much appreciated :')


	3. Chapter 3

The director was furious as expected but he didn’t yell at any of them. He was clearly worried about Changmin, who had lost a lot of blood. They had flown back to

headquarters immediately, afraid that they might’ve been followed and Changmin had lost even more blood during that.

  
Jacob was now tending to him and Younghoon waited outside the room. The director was standing next to him. It was kind of awkward.

  
‘I’m sorry sir…’, Younghoon said after a while.

  
The director just have him a single glare. Younghoon wished he could just dissolve into the air.

  
‘You and Changmin have given me too much grey hair’, he grumbled.

  
Younghoon thought that was funny since he had no grey hair but decided to keep his mouth shut.

  
‘I’m too old to babysit a bunch of teenagers’.  
That was funny too, Younghoon thought, as none of them were teenagers anymore. He just nodded, politely.

  
‘When they told me to become a director I wasn’t expecting having to deal with a bunch of teenagers who can’t control their emotions’.

  
‘Oh please, you love us’ Haknyeon said, as he passed by, a huge grin on his face and a basket full of clean bandages in his arms. The director scoffed. Haknyeon patted his shoulder and went inside the room to help Jacob.

  
Younghoon could never understand how the first two batches could be so straightforward with the director. He supposed it was because they had known him for years now and the director had practically raised them.  
Changmin, Juyeon, Kevin, Haknyeon and Sunwoo had been the first to arrive. They had been around thirteen years old at the time. Jacob, Hyunjae, Hwall and Eric had arrived the year after. Younghoon had arrived two years after that and hadn’t had much interactions with the director.

  
Haknyeon opened the door again. ‘Changmin’s awake’, he sang out.

  
The director moved towards the door but Hak stopped him. ‘No only Younghoon can come in. You’ll scare him’.

  
‘Number nine’, the director warned.

  
‘Oh, so now I’m number nine, huh?’

  
The director sighed in exasperation.

  
Haknyeon motioned for Younghoon to come in.

  
‘Let me in too. That’s an order’, the director said sternly as Younghoon went in.

  
‘I’m the doctor and you’re not’, Haknyeon said gleefully and shut the door.

  
Younghoon went over to Changmin’s bed. ‘I could never get away with that…’ he said, amused.

  
‘That’s cause he hates you’, Haknyeon said.

‘He only likes the OGs.’

  
‘Yeah I can see that…’ and then he turned to Changmin. ‘Hi, baby’.

  
‘Hi…’ Changmin smiled at him.

  
‘Oh and remember how much he punished you when you saved Changmin’s life, even though the director almost cried when he saw that he was alive?’ Hak asked.

  
Younghoon remembered very well. He nodded.

  
‘Well guess what Changmin’s punishment is?’ Hak said, grinning.

  
‘Um…’

  
‘Nothing! Ha! The director said his injuries were enough’.

  
‘Stop pestering him Haknyeon’, Jacob chided. He was busy cutting bandages, on Changmin’s other side.

  
Haknyeon plopped down at the foot of the bed. ‘I was just saying…’

  
‘Well stop it’.

  
Younghoon looked down at Changmin.

  
‘Thank you…’ Changmin murmured.

  
‘Thank you?’ Younghoon questioned. ‘Darling, you were the one who saved me’.

  
‘Oh…’

  
Younghoon laughed and bent down giving him a kiss.

  
‘Oh don’t do that…’ Jacob complained.

  
Younghoon pulled away. ‘Sorry…’

  
‘He’s not well enough for kisses just yet…’

  
‘Yeah don’t be gross’. Haknyeon threw a towel at Younghoon. It had blood on it and Younghoon looked at Hak with a raised eyebrow.

  
‘Huh…’ Hak said as he noticed the blood.

  
Sunwoo came inside, looking excited. ‘Hey, guess what? There’s a really big mission coming up, I think we’ll all have to go on it…’

  
Haknyeon groaned. ‘I just got back three days ago!’

  
‘So?’

  
Haknyeon mumbled something about wanting to play his new game he still hadn’t had a chance of even opening.

  
Sunwoo sat next to him. ‘It’s gonna be a big mission’.

  
‘How do you know?’ Jacob asked.

  
‘The firearms instructor told me’, Sunwoo said.

  
The director finally came inside. ‘I want you all to rest up and be at the conference room tomorrow morning’, he said, after a glance at Changmin.

  
‘Big mission?’ Haknyeon asked.

  
‘Yes… “big” mission…’ the director sighed. ‘Don’t stay up late’, he snapped and left.

  
‘See? I told you guys’, Sunwoo said, all too pleased with himself.

  
‘Oh excellent intelligence collecting skills my dude. How come you aren’t a spy?’

  
Sunwoo punched Haknyeon’s arm.

 

 

 

Changmin lay in bed while the others went to get briefed on the new mission. He fiddled with the edge of the bandage plastered on his cheek and accidently took some of it off. He quickly smoothed it back down.

  
Half an hour later, Haknyeon was back. ‘I need to change your bandage’, he said lifting Changmin’s shirt.

  
‘What did the director say?’ Changmin asked.

  
‘Oh yeah. So like this mission is gonna be kinda cool cause we get to go on a ship. Also hey did you know? We have a new member. His name is number 98’. Haknyeon laughed. ‘He didn’t tell us his real name but like he’s so thin and looks like he could break if I even touched him. I don’t know how he’s here. Maybe he’s not a field agent?’

‘Hak… the mission?’

  
‘Oh yeah. So there’s this like really important guy and we gotta save him from assassins and we’re gonna travel in a ship!’

  
‘Yes. You already told me that… who’s the person? Why are they important and why does someone want to kill them?’ Changmin questioned, impatiently.

  
Haknyeon put some antiseptic cream on Changmin’s wound who sucked in a sharp breath at the stinging.

‘You know… I don’t really remember... wasn’t paying attention. I just remember that there will be a ship, some conference and a murder’. Haknyeon secured the bandage and wiped his hands on a towel. ‘Who cares about the details’.

  
Sometimes Changmin understood very well why Haknyeon was only a medic. Today was one of those days.

  
‘You’re hopeless’.

  
‘Not my fault. I’ve only been trained to heal and fight. Not eavesdrop and pay attention to every single word. Oh my God. That would be insufferable’.

  
Changmin sighed, hoping someone else would come and fill him in.

  
‘Where’s everyone else?’

  
‘Classes’.

  
‘Okay so do you know if I’m on the mission?’  
‘Ooh yeah. You are. Don’t worry, you’ll be with your beloved Younghoonie’. Haknyeon laughed.

  
Changmin rolled his eyes.

  
‘The director said the mission is in like two weeks… plenty of time for you to heal’.   
Just then Hwall peeked into the room and Changmin almost yelled at him to come inside. The boy came in looking confused.  
‘Please tell me you know the details of the mission’, Changmin said.

  
Hwall nodded. ‘Of course I do, hyung. What do you want to know?’

  
‘Everything because Haknyeon knows nothing’.

  
Hwall smiled.

  
‘Why aren’t you in class?’ Haknyeon asked him.

  
Hwall looked surprised. ‘Class?’

  
‘Yeah. Math and Physics today’.

  
Hwall made a face and turned to Changmin. ‘Our mission is to keep a VIP safe’, he explained, ‘his name is Lee Jinyoung and he’s going to be giving a speech at an event in a museum. He has been doing some research on oil alternatives and has discovered a very good alternative to oil. Or like made enough sufficient progress in his research to alarm a lot of oil companies.

  
‘We got a tip from one of our agencies that there’s a plan to murder him right before he shares his findings. Oh yeah and the event at the museum is hosted by a Japanese environmentalist and she’s a very famous social media influencer too. Her name is Kirihara Kiyoko. We have to keep an eye on her too’.

  
‘So we’ll be going to Japan?’ Changmin asked.

  
Hwall nodded.

  
‘On a ship!’ Haknyeon declared once again.

  
‘It’s a cruise ship. The guy and Kiyoko will be on it and the director said it’d be better if we were on it too in case… you know, messy stuff. There’ll be a lot of rich people and some owners of oil companies too… so… anything can happen’.

  
‘I’m just glad we’re going to be going on a cruise ship’. Haknyeon smiled.

  
‘So are all of us going?’ Changmin questioned.

  
‘All of us except maybe Sangyeon? He still hasn’t been on a mission yet…’ Hwall mused.  
‘Do we know the plan about the murder? Like what exactly is it?’

  
‘We know nothing at all. Just that it’s gonna happen at the event’, Hwall said with a smile.  
Changmin nodded and fell into silence, thinking about all he had just heard.

  
‘Why do we need to keep an eye on the Japanese woman? ’, Changmin asked.

  
‘The scientist already told her about his findings and she has them all saved on multiple devices, but we don’t know if the enemy knows that so…’ Hwall trailed off. He was thinking of something then spoke again. ‘We won’t be taking any weapons on the ship’.

  
‘What!?’ Haknyeon asked.

  
‘Hyung, you were there. How do you not know?’

  
Haknyeon looked devastated.

  
‘We can’t take anything on the ship because the ship’s security doesn’t know about us, they can’t be trusted. It’s too easy to bribe guards’

  
‘I just need my lock picks and I’ll be fine’, Changmin said.

  
‘Oh, don’t worry’. Hwall smiled. ‘We have a way to get our weapons… your boyfriend will take care of that’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated :')


	4. Chapter 4

Changmin spent the rest of the two weeks stitching small pockets in the hems of his clothes to hide his lock picks in. He also had to memorize his fake identity’s history and details along with the important people that would be on the ship.

  
Soon it was time for them to leave. Changmin was packing his clothes in his bag, when Younghoon came inside and sat next to him.

  
‘I wish you weren’t coming along…’ he said.

  
Changmin looked up at him. ‘Excuse me?’

  
‘I’m just… worried...’

  
‘Hey um, who saved whose life again?’

  
Younghoon smiled a little and wrapped an arm around Changmin’s waist, gently stroking the injured area.

  
‘You’re still not at a hundred percent…’

  
‘I’m fine’, Changmin assured him. ‘Besides you guys need me…’

  
Younghoon nodded slowly.

  
‘You’ll have my back and I’ll have yours. We’re all going together and we’ll all watch out for each other…’ Changmin said. He wasn’t sure who he was trying to console anymore. Himself or Younghoon.

  
He stopped folding his shirt and hugged Younghoon, who hugged him back.

  
‘Hey…’ Younghoon said softly, ‘you okay?’

  
‘It’s always scary… always scary that I might lose you…’ Changmin whispered.

  
‘Well… it’s like you said… we’ll have each other’s back…’

  
‘Don’t you ever get scared?’ Changmin asked.

  
‘Of losing you? No. Not at all. You’re too good to be killed’.

  
Changmin smiled at that.

  
‘You’re one of the best agents I know’, Younghoon said.

  
‘You’re good too’, Changmin murmured.

  
‘Yes, but you’re even better’.

  
Changmin squeezed his boyfriend, unable to stop smiling. Younghoon helped Changmin finish packing and then all twelve boys got in the cars and were off to the ship.

 

 

 

The boys boarded the ship in the evening and dropped their bags at their rooms. They had three rooms, one each for four boys.

Changmin was sharing with Younghoon, Haknyeon and Sunwoo.

  
After they had seen their rooms they immediately started familiarizing themselves with the ship's layout. Jacob even sneaked into the engine room and security office. When it came to stealth, he was the best.   
Eric and Haknyeon went around talking to some of the other guests, to get any information they could.

  
Changmin slipped away and checked the locks of all the doors, checking if they all were easily unlockable.

 

 

 

The boys all gathered together again for dinner, which was being served on deck. Changmin sat down next to Haknyeon who looked annoyed.

  
‘What’s wrong?’ Changmin asked him.

  
‘No use talking to anyone’, Haknyeon muttered. ‘Stupid rich lady kept talking about her stupid diamonds. Like tell me if your husband likes killing people and hiring hitmen not about your stupid diamonds’.

Haknyeon sipped his juice angrily and Changmin tried not to smile at his predicament. Once the food was served, however, he became much happier.

  
Changmin noticed that Chanhee was looking very nervous and told him to calm down and that everything would be fine.

  
‘You guys are too relaxed…’ Chanhee said.

  
‘Well we have nothing much to worry about right now’, Sunwoo replied.

  
‘The murderer could be right here…’ Chanhee whispered, glancing around.

  
‘Mr. M is gonna be at the event not here. That’s what there plan is and we’ve looked up at the background of pretty much all the guests’.

  
‘Plans can change’, Chanhee argued, ‘you don’t know if any guests have been added replaced, you don’t know the background of all the staff members. We have chefs, cleaners, waiters, the crew…’

  
Eric had gone pale.

  
‘I think Chanhee’s right…’ Jacob spoke up. ‘You guys are going too easy… we don’t even have our weapons yet…’

  
‘We’ll have them by midnight’, Hyunjae said.

  
‘Until then I think it’s best we stayed on our toes’, Chanhee urged.

  
Jacob nodded. ‘I’ll go keep an eye outside Kiyoko and Jinyoung’s rooms. I found a good hiding spot outside them’. And with that he slipped away.

  
The rest of them decided they should spread out and keep an eye on all the staff members. They put they’re ear pieces in, which were now all in the form of earphones and headphones, then dispersed. Kevin and Chanhee went to their rooms to hack into the security system and watch over through the cameras.

  
Changmin sneaked into the laundry room and found some freshly laundered chef uniforms. He put one on and then made his way to the kitchens, where he washed dishes and eavesdropped on the chefs'c onversations. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.

 

That night when everyone had retired to their rooms and the hour was late, Changmin watched Younghoon change into some simple cotton clothes and take the knife, Changmin had stolen from the kitchen.  
He headed out of their room and Changmin followed him. Younghoon looked at him but didn’t say anything.

  
They made their way to the lower deck where Juyeon and Hyunjae were waiting for them.  
‘What’s he doing here?’ Hyunjae asked nodding towards Changmin.

  
‘I’m here for moral support’.

  
Younghoon leaned over the railing and looked down the ship.

  
‘There’s still some people up, be careful’, Juyeon muttered as he strapped a harness onto Younghoon.

  
‘Yeah well they’re all on the upper deck so we should be fine’, Changmin assured him.

  
Younghoon moved a few feet to the left and then took off his shoes. ‘This is the spot...’  
He climbed over the railing as the others made sure no one was watching and then jumped off. Changmin watched him plunge into the dark, churning water below and sent a silent prayer up to the heavens.

  
Earlier that day, before the boys had boarded the ship, Younghoon had packed all their weapons in a water proof package and stuck it on the underside of the ship.

  
‘How long can he hold his breath for?’ Hyunjae asked.

  
‘Four minutes’.

  
‘That’s pretty okay…’

  
Changmin scowled at him. ‘Um no. It’s pretty amazingly epic is what it is. Bet you can’t even hold yours for half a minute’.

  
Hyunjae just smiled. ‘You better hope he doesn’t get eaten by sharks’.

  
Changmin smacked him. He turned back to the water, hoping for Younghoon to emerge again. He was an excellent swimmer and could hold his breath for a really long time.   
After what seemed like hours, Younghoon finally broke through the surface and Changmin breathed a sigh of relief. He was clutching a large package in his arms.  
As Hyunjae and Juyeon started pulling him up, a lady strolled by.

  
‘Wonderful night isn’t it?’ she ventured.

  
All three boys froze.

  
‘Um… yeah…’ Juyeon said, turning to look at her.

  
‘What’re you up to?’ she asked, eyeing Juyeon.

  
Juyeon flushed. ‘I… um…’

  
Changmin turned to the railing and gagged.

  
‘Excuse us, but our friend is terribly sea sick...’ Hyunjae said, putting an arm around Changmin.

  
‘Oh no… can I help?’ the lady asked, looking concerned.

  
Changmin made the most awful retching sound he could.

  
‘We’re good!’ Juyeon smiled at the lady, who walked off in disappointment.

  
Hyunjae and Juyeon quickly turned back to the sea and started pulling Younghoon up again.

  
‘Thank God she didn’t come near the railing’, Juyeon said.

  
‘Yeah, well no one wants to see a boy throwing up. Good job Changmin’.

  
Once Younghoon had climbed back up and handed the package to Hyunjae, the boys all hurried back to their room.

  
Once the package was opened and all the weapons handed back to their owners, the boys all went back to their rooms, except those who were taking first turn for patrolling the ship.

  
Jacob and Sangyeon went below decks while Changmin and Younghoon went above.   
They spent a good half hour roaming the decks but there was barely anybody there anymore.

  
Changmin leaned against the railing and closed his eyes as the wind ruffled his hair. It was almost one in the morning and he was getting sleepy.

  
He felt Younghoon’s warm body press against his and leaned into him.

  
‘It’s not often we deal with assassins so directly…’ he heard Younghoon say.

  
Changmin opened his eyes to look up at Younghoon. His eyebrows were furrowed as he stared out to sea.

  
‘Are you worried?’ Changmin asked.

  
‘A bit yeah… usually we just go collecting information and sometimes deal with a few guards… get beat up… beat them up… this time the guys won’t hesitate in killing… I hate murder missions’

  
Changmin nodded.

  
‘Have you ever killed someone?’ Younghoon asked in almost a whisper.

  
‘If I had I would’ve told you… I’m never killing anyone…’

  
‘What if you absolutely have to…?’

  
‘I don’t know…’ Changmin said. ‘After I saw Hwall kill a man I vowed never to kill someone myself’.

  
‘You were there?’ Younghoon asked surprised.

  
‘Yeah. He was only fourteen. Cried for days after. But now he can kill without a moment’s hesitation. Sunwoo and Hyunjae too’.

  
Younghoon remained silent.

  
‘They were so young…’ Changmin murmured and suddenly he hated everything. The stupid mission. The people that had sent hem here. The fact that they had been robbed of ever living a normal life. Unpleasant memories started resurfacing in his mind, bubbling out of the depths he had pushed them into.   
Hwall, only fourteen, shooting a man and then almost shooting himself after realizing what he’d done. Sunwoo, only fifteen, stabbing a man, getting soaked in his blood and then throwing up right after. Changmin trying to comfort a hysterical Hyunjae as he screamed, covered in the insides of someone else. How all three of them had been stripped of something that made you human. How neither even batted an eye anymore before taking someone’s life away.

  
Changmin shuddered, he realised there were tears running down his face.

  
‘Changmin…’ Younghoon’s face was full of worry.

  
‘I don’t want to kill anyone…’ Changmin sobbed and Younghoon hugged him tight.  
‘You won’t have to…’ Younghoon comforted him. ‘I’ll make sure you never-… what’s that?’  
Changmin looked towards where Younghoon’s gaze was fixated. A small motorboat was speeding towards the ship, it’s engine barely audible over the wind. He could just make out two figures seated in it.   
Changmin and Younghoon ducked down and watched as the boat neared the ship and stuck itself to its side.

  
Changmin put his earbud into his ear and spoke into the mic. ‘We need backup on the lower deck. Starboard side’.

  
He hoped someone had gotten the message and then headed towards the place where the boat had stuck itself.

  
‘I’m sending someone over right now’, Changmin heard Chanhee’s voice say.  
‘You’re awake?’ Changmin asked surprised.

  
‘Yeah… I was watching over the cameras’.

  
Bless Chanhee and his paranoia, Changmin thought.

  
‘What’s going on?’ Chanhee asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

  
Before Changmin could answer someone grabbed him roughly from the back and he felt arms tighten around his waist and neck. He almost screamed but then felt a cold blade press against his neck.

  
‘Utter a single word and I’ll cut your head off’, he heard a voice rasp in his ear. ‘You, stop right there! Show me your hands. Any funny business and I’ll cut your friend open’.

  
Someone had come from behind them and Changmin realised the two people on the boat weren’t the only intruders that night. 


End file.
